Zootopia: The Savage Return Part II
by Gill-The-Bat
Summary: Lex regales Judy with a tragic story of Butch's past before the two are attacked a second time by Nick's kidnapper, and then a third time as they race to the hospital to get a serious wound looked at.


Judy looked at Lex. He was quite muscular and certainly looked like he could handle himself in a fight, but could he? Perhaps he could. The mere sight of him was enough to make Butch back down and flee into the sky. So...what are we gonna do now? Do you know how to track him down? Lex shook his head. No. He s very slippery and completely unpredictable. Even if you know where he s hiding, by the time you get half way there he ll be somewhere else. Drat! Judy fumed, stamping a foot hard as Lex looked out over the trees in the direction that Butch had flown. If I know Butch, which I do quite well, he ll find a way to contact you again, although I don t know what his orders from Belwether will be. Either way, his next move will be to try and lure you into another trap. He fled from me today because he was surprised to see me. The next time we see him, he ll be ready to face both of us. Judy thought to herself for a moment and had an idea. But was it wise? She barely knew knew this fox at all. For all she knew, he and Butch were simply pretending to be enemies while they were, in fact, working together under the orders of Belwether. I see. she said, looking up at Lex. Lex, I have an idea. If you re not too busy, would you mind staying at my house with me? Until we get my Nick back? Lex looked back down at her.  
Don t worry. I know what you mean. Butch can be savagely unpredictable and, as much as I hate to say this to you, he may well end up setting fire to your house while you re asleep. He said calmly but sternly. With that in mind, we should also avoid going to sleep at the same time. If something does happen, one of us needs to be awake and ready. Judy nodded her agreement and they headed back to the patrol car with which, Judy drove them back to her house.

Well, Judy said as she pulled up on the driveway, Here we are. Home sweet home. She got out of the vehicle, followed by Lex and they headed into the house.  
Wow, lovely house. Lex said, as he looked around the entrance all. It really was an impressive home. It was very spacious and beautifully decorated. Lex wagered that Nick and Judy did a lot of work to this place after they bought it and moved in. Thanks, Judy replied. It took a long time but Nick and I did it all on our own, with a little help from his friend Finnick.

Lex s attention was then caught by a number of framed pictures hanging on the right-hand wall, all of which featured Judy, appearing to be having the time of her life with another male fox he d never seen before. That s my Nick. Judy said, noticing Lex examining them. Quite a handsome chap you ve got there. He replied. A moment of silence then passed and Judy decided to express her interest of how Lex and Butch knew each other. You seem to know a lot about Butch. How did you two meet? She asked and Lex hesitated with his response. It s a long, sad story. He replied. Can we sit down? Oh, of course. Judy replied and lead Lex into the living room. They sat down on a sofa and Lex began to explain.

Butch wasn t always the way he is now. He was just like you and me. He had a job, friends, a nice home and a lovely young she-bat who he loved more than life itself. He was the happiest guy I knew, he really was. But one day, everything changed.

One day, Butch had a run in with some young punks while he was out with his girlfriend, Vanessa was her name. They harassed them for dressing differently to the average person, throwing rocks and hurling insults at them and, because of Butch s short fuze, he tore across the street after them and beat all three of them, not badly, but enough to have them fleeing with their tails between their legs, two of them almost in tears.

Only a day after this happened, Butch and Vanessa were receiving death threats written on paper, posted through their letterbox. Butch shrugged them off for a few days but then he saw that they were getting to Vanessa and she started getting upset over them. At that point, he wanted to track them down and make them stop.

Again, Butch was a completely different person back then and he had no intention of using more violence unless he had to, but Vanessa didn t want him to confront them. She insisted that they instead go straight to the police, which they did but they were too busy dealing with a spate of missing mammal cases to go chasing after some hooded punks . The ZPD didn t even seem to take it seriously. They told Butch and Vanessa that they would be fine and the hoodlums would never have the guts to make good on their threats and they would soon stop.

Annoyed, Butch went home with Vanessa and, that very night, the ZPD were proven wrong. Butch awoke in the middle of the night to the smell of smoke and intense heat. He woke Vanessa and tried to get them both out of the house quickly as the hoodlums threw firebombs through their windows and engulfed the building in flames.

Before they could get far, the couple were trapped upstairs by falling debris, a pile of which landed on Vanessa, pinning her to the floor. Butch soon collapsed from the toxic fumes and when we arrived, I carried him out on my shoulder while the others got Vanessa out. Before long, the others had carried Vanessa out of the house and doused the fire but, by the time the ambulance got there, Vanessa had died from her injuries.

When Butch came to, surrounded by paramedics, he pushed them away, only wanting to know about Vanessa and when he looked over at the ambulance and saw Vanessa s body being zipped up in a black bag...he just lost it. His mind let go of the wheel and he changed completely. He cursed the police for shrugging off the death threats he and vanessa had reported and flew off into the night without even receiving treatment.

After that, he did nothing but get into fights and soon lost his job at the warehouse after beating someone senseless there because of one silly comment. Since then, his residence has been a mystery and he s done all kinds of shady dealings to make a living.

Judy was dumbfounded by Butch s story. She began to feel some amount of sympathy for him and almost couldn t believe she wanted him locked up but then she remembered what he had done to Nick, what he had done to her life. There was no excuse for it.

Lex watched Judy as she processed everything she had just heard. Hard to believe, isn t it? There was no excuse for him to act this way. What he s done is nothing but a show of cowardice! Lex nodded in agreement.  
I know. I tried to help him. I asked him to seek professional help and he promised he would, but he was too scared to talk about it with anyone. Judy was glad she d met Lex. If not for him, she wouldn t have known any of this and would have perhaps thought that Butch was just evil and selfish. It was hard to justify what he was putting Judy through but she now understood that if the ZPD had taken him a little more seriously, he wouldn t have lost the one he loved, he d still be the same average joe doing his best to support himself and his girlfriend and none of this would be happening. She even felt partly responsible for Vanessa s death. But it wasn t her fault, she didn t know. She couldn t have.

If we catch him, Judy said after a sigh, I ll make sure he gets help. It sounds like he could use that more than sitting in a prison cell. Judy now felt very fortunate. Butch had lost Vanessa forever but Nick was still alive and, with that in mind, she was willing to forgive Butch...eventually. She even wanted to help the bat overcome the turmoil that was sickening his mind. Lex put a hand on Judy s shoulder. When, He sad. Not if. We will get him and Nick will be just fine. Judy smiled, reassured and yawned. Lex, do you mind if I get some sleep and you take the first shift on guard duty? I m exhausted He shook his head. Of course not, Judy. You ve been through a lot tonight. You go and get some rest. Thanks. Judy replied. Help yourself to anything you can find in the kitchen if you get hungry. Make yourself at home.

Judy headed upstairs and Lex sat around downstairs, watching TV and playing a few video games. After a couple of hours, Lex caught sight of something as lightning flashed, illuminating the world outside and he looked out of the window. It was too dark to see anything now but, a few seconds later, another flash lit up the window and Lex s heart almost leaped out of his chest as he beheld the terrifying sight of Butch glaring through the window at him. The sudden and unannounced appearance of Butch s evil visage peering through the glass was enough to turn anyone s heart to ice but this image was punctuated by the flash of lightning which made the spectacle reminiscent of something straight from a horror movie.

Lex rubbed his eyes, thinking that perhaps he was tired and was thinking about Butch too much and he watched the window again, waiting for the next flash of lightning, all the while his heart pounding in his chest and when the next flash occurred, there was nothing there. Lex sighed with relief but he knew he saw what he saw. He was sure he wasn t seeing things. He stood up and hurried out the front door, looking around. Butch? Lex called out, keeping calm. You out here? He heard something move swiftly behind him and he span around to see what it was but saw nothing, just the quiet street, trees blowing gently in the breeze. Butch? He called again. Are we gonna talk this through like adults, or am I gonna have to knock you out? We re still mates, but I m not gonna let you hurt Judy!

A few moments passed and nothing else had happened and Lex had begun to think that he d perhaps just been letting his mind play tricks on him but, as he turned around to go back inside, his ears twitched and he detected something coming up from behind at a quick pace and, ready for such an ambush, span around and threw a kick at about face height and an unsuspecting bat flew down straight into the sole of his boot which struck him square in the cheek. Butch span around from the impact and rolled along the pavement, recovering and rolling back into a standing position. Butch, stop this! Lex roared. Let us help you! Just get out of my business, will ya? Butch screeched and launched himself towards Lex again and the two engaged in a ballet of punches and kicks, a lot of which were blocked, ducked and dodged with sidestep maneuvers until Butch got lucky and managed to rake a clawed hand across Lex s left arm, drawing blood. Lex cried out as he held his arm in agony, blood escaping the wound and dripping through his fingers. An evil grin spread across Butch s snout and he took advantage of his opponent s vulnerability and jumped a few feet into the air, striking the fox in the chin with his boot. As Lex stumbled back and fell on his posterior, Butch quickly straddled him and punched him in the face a few times but Lex still had more strength than Butch had thought and managed to kick him off, planting both feet against his chest.

Butch spread his arms and wings, preparing to land on his feet but hadn t acknowledged the lamp post that stood a few metres away from him. The back of Butch s head collided with the steel post rather hard, almost leaving a dent and Butch sank to his knees before collapsing face down on the footpath. Lex approached him cautiously. He certainly looked out cold but Lex knew how sly and cunning Butch was. Although he hadn t planned to fly back into the lamp post, this could quite easily be an act and Butch could leap up and claw one of the fox s eyes out as soon as he got within murdering distance. He was now only a meter or so away and still Butch didn t even so much as twitch an ear. Lex knew that those would likely be the first things to move as soon as Butch detected sound near him. Lex had now crept all the way up to the lying bat and still he was unmoving. When he felt safe enough, he gently rolled Butch onto his back. The bat s closed eyes faced silently up at the stars in the clear sky as Lex sighed in relief, rising up to his feet.

With a brief moment of hesitation, Lex turned around with the intention of running upstairs to get Judy so she could slap him in irons but, still a bit on edge from approaching the unconscious lunatic, he almost jumped out of his skin when he saw Judy standing there in her pyjamas. Aahh, don t do that! Lex screamed in a slight panic.  
Sorry , Judy replied with a soft voice. I didn t mean to startle you. Don t worry about it. Lex said as he took a deep breath, his heart pounding against his ribcage. I came to see what all the noise- she stopped as she saw the claw wound on Lex s left arm, the blood dripping all the way down to his hand, a few small drops falling to the ground. Lex, you re hurt! We have to get that looked at. Lex nodded his agreement. I ll be alright for the moment though. You need to get this guy in handcuffs as fast as you can, before he comes around again. Lex said and stepped aside, gesturing to the lamp post where Butch had hit his head, only to see that the bat had disappeared completely. Drat! He was right there! Lex growled with just a hint of frustration in his voice. He must have flown off right after I scared you. How long was he out? She asked, just as disappointed as Lex was.  
Only a minute or so. Judy sighed, looking at the ground. We almost had him...If I hadn t scared you and brought the handcuffs with me- Hey, Lex interrupted. Don t start blaming yourself, Judy. He put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a faint smile. I promised you we d get Nick back, and we will. Judy smiled, wiping a tear away from her eye and suddenly remembered that Lex was bleeding. Oh, cheese and crackers, your arm! Let s get that seen to. Lex nodded and turned toward the house and took one step forward before Judy stopped him. I meant at the hospital, Lex. Lex shook his head.  
It s not that bad. Just a scratch really. A bit of antiseptic and a bandage and- He was interrupted by nothing more than Judy s piercing gaze as she stood with her hands on her hips, tapping one foot impatiently. Oh alright. If makes you feel better Judy. But don t be surprised if they re too busy to see us, what with all the savage animals running rampant. We might be lucky. If people have heeded the warnings and stayed indoors as advised, it shouldn t be too crowded. If I have to treat you myself I will but, until then, we ll try and get you seen by a doctor. Lex nodded one last time and they jumped in the patrol car and Judy began driving toward the hospital.

The drive to the hospital was short enough but was even less uneventful than the drive to the Rainforest District. Not two minutes after they pulled out, a savage cheetah had leaped out onto the road and was bounding toward them. Judy, Cheetah! Lex cried and she swerved to avoid it, nearly wiping out a lamp post and a couple of dustbins as she did. Blimey, that thing came out of nowhere! Lex said, a surge of surprise in his voice. I m glad your reflexes are on point. Well, it s kinda what we re trained for in the ZPD. Judy replied, picking up speed to outrun the cheetah as she watched it slowly fall behind and vanish in the rear view mirror. I can t wait for this to be over. Judy said softly. This Butch needs serious help if he s ever going to continue his place in society. Lex nodded and said nothing for a moment. I realize Butch needs to be punished for what he s done but it s...really not his fault. Lex replied, closing his eyes as he thought about Butch. He lost his mind when he lost Vanessa. Lex...do you mind if I ask why you got so involved in this? Just how far do you and Butch go back? She asked with slight hesitation.  
Butch and I hadn t seen each other for fifteen years or so before we met again, shortly before Vanessa died but we met as children. Our mothers were close friends and we used to play together, inside and outside of school. Lex began with a slight smile as he thought of happier times. Butch was quite mischievous when we were kids. He got into trouble fairly often. Nothing serious, mind you. I got into trouble on occasion too and Butch even sometimes took the fall for me. We got into all kinds of scrapes together and always found a way out together. He was a good friend. Judy smiled, somewhat captivated by Lex s fond memories. Maybe, with the right course of treatment, things can go back to the way they were. She said, trying to keep Lex s hopes up as well as her own.

Before Lex could even respond, something landed on the roof of the car and the sound of shattering glass invoked a scream from both mammals as a clawed hand smashed through the windscreen and attempted to rake at Lex s face, without much success as Judy swerved the car frantically, trying to throw the attacker off. What the heck is it? Judy cried.  
It s Butch again! Lex shouted in response. He knows your car! He continued to jerk around wildly, trying to avoid Butch s vicious swipes. Don t you have a taser? He cried.  
No, I lost it when he kicked it out of my hand back at the Rainforest District! Well we ve got to find a way to throw him off! You ve got fangs, use em! Without further hesitation, Lex seized his chance, grabbing the bat s arm with both hands and sank his fangs into his wrist as deep as he could manage. He didn t want to hurt or injure Butch but he wanted him to let them go before Judy ended up veering off of the road and knocking someone down or causing a serious crash. Butch roared and pulled his arm back up before lurching over the right hand side of the vehicle and shoving his hand through the car door window and gripping Lex s neck tight, digging his claws painfully into the fox s neck. At this point, Judy wanted to stop the car but there were a number of cars right behind her, the drivers watching in awe as the bat attempted to murder the two inside the patrol car. Lex, get the door! Judy yelled.  
Shut your yapper, rabbit! Butch hollered back as he leaned almost all the way into the car s smashed out window. Lex coughed and gagged as he quickly grabbed the handle of the car door and he flung it open, knocking the bat off of the vehicle and onto the road, managing to miss the other cars as he spread his wings and leaped into the air and flew off once again into the night, having taken a few grazings from rolling along the road.

Lex slammed the door shut again, holding his throat and breathing heavily. Lex, are you- I m fine. Just keep going. Lex said, panting and looking back to make sure Butch wasn t following them, which he wasn t. Holy cow, this guy just doesn t let up, does he. She replied. Well we re nearly there now. How s your arm? Still bleeding. I ll be fine. And as Judy turned one more corner, she was pulling into the Zootopia hospital car park.


End file.
